This invention relates to a heavy duty disc brake for automotive vehicles.
Automotive disc brakes must be relatively compact in order to fit in the allocated space on a modern vehicle, yet must be capable of generating relatively high braking forces in order to generate sufficient braking torque to stop a vehicle. The problem is particularly acute on heavy duty vehicles, such as air-braked trucks which, when loaded, are much heavier than passenger cars and, therefore, require much larger brakes. Until now, disc brakes have been used almost exclusively on passenger cars and light trucks, but braking requirements require that disc brakes be used on heavier vehicles, such as air-braked trucks, in the near future. The present invention relates to a disc brake particularly adapted for heavy duty vehicles, such as air-braked trucks, but is not limited to such an application and may be used advantageously in a disc brake for any type of vehicle.